Tonight, soccer teams around the country will face off in the 3rd Round of the 2011 US Open Cup, a competition that gives
teams from many different leagues, from MLS to USL to amateur leagues, a chance to compete for one championship. But while some fans and media may look at these games as not being very competitive, the games provide great opportunities for all involved.
“This is a really cool opportunity for a young player like me to play against an MLS team,” said Huntington Station’s Karsten Smith. “I’m excited about the opportunity. Red Bulls Arena is supposed to be a beautiful stadium, I hear they are expecting about 10,000 people, my friends will be there, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Chris Wingert, who hails from Babylon and is a starting defender for Real Salt Lake of the MLS, is a regular contributor to www.lijsoccer.com, like Smith. But even as a member of a “favored” team, his response might be a little different than you might expect.
“This year is slightly different when it comes to this competition,” said Wingert, who will miss tonight’s game against the USL’s Wilmington Hammerheads due to a hamstring injury. “In the past, as an MLS team we had to work our way into the quarterfinals, meaning we needed to win 7-8 games to get to the final. Now, we automatically qualify for this 3rd round of play, so now an MLS team can win the whole tournament by winning four games. That’s important because this tournament is an automatic qualifier for the Champions Cup.
“So we’ll have a strong focus for this game,” he continued. “This is important to us. We may rest a couple guys, but we will definitely be putting our best foot forward to get to the quarterfinals.”
That’s good, because as a professional athlete, Smith and others like him in the USL aren’t ready to concede anything.
“I’m really relaxed and excited about the opportunity,” Smith said. “Obviously, the MLS represents the highest level of professional play here in the US, and it’s the logical next step for me. This is a chance to prove I can play at that level. It provides good exposure, it’s a chance to improve, and a chance to show what I can do. I’m really looking forward to it.”